Monitoringand Assessment Program
The radiological monitoring and assessment program in the Marshall
Islands consists of field operations, laboratory studies and analyses,
exposure assessments, and advisory services.
During FY 79 three trips are being conducted to carry out whole-body
counting activities among the Rongelap, Utirik and Bikini peoples, and to
begin acquisition of baseline information from Enewetak people planning to
return to their atoll.
The approximate numbers of people included in this
activity are:
e
Rongel ap
~100 plus controls
Utirik
~100 plus controls —
Bikinians
~ 200 ptus controls
Enewetak
~ 100
TOTAL
~ 500
It is expected that two or three trips a year will be continued, with four
or five professional staff participating on each trip.
If circumstances
require (e.g,, including all resettled Enewetak people, other atoll peoples),
additional effort may be required.
Environmental monitoring is conducted on the atolls of Enewetak, Bikini,
Rongelap and Utirik.
Included are studies of radionuclide transport mechanisms
and exposure pathways to man (e.g., foods and food chains) from both the terrestrial and the marine environments.
components on the several atolls.
Also included are studies of the dietary
At present, these efforts require four
trips per year to the Enewetak and Bikini atolls, and two trips per year
to the Rongelap and Utirik atol}s.
Depending upon the specific purpose of
each trip, five to seven professional staff persons participate.
These
“trips result in 2000-3000 samples of various types being rcturned from
eee
_
Antn
al
analytical examination each year.